Setlist apps compared

    The best setlist and chord chart apps for bands

    For most bands the best setlist app is BandHelper if it should also run the schedule and money, SongbookPro if you'd rather pay once on mixed devices, and OnSong or forScore if everyone plays from an iPad. MobileSheets brings PDF sheet music to Android and Windows. Stage Friend is the one built around the whole band following the same song on whatever device each player has.

    Stage Friend is our app, so read its entry with that in mind. Every other app's facts come from its own website, manual and store listings, checked on the date below, and each entry says where the app falls short as well as where it shines. The apps are in no ranked order: the first three are the ones most bands ask about.

    Updated

    The short list

    Who each app suits, where it runs, what it costs and whether the band can follow one player to the same song on stage. Other apps' prices are in US dollars as each vendor publishes them, and Stage Friend's are in your currency.

    • BandHelper

      Best for:
      Bands that run the schedule, money and the show from one app
      Devices:
      Web, iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac
      Price:
      From $16 a year solo, $40 for 2 to 5 members
      Band on the same song:
      Yes, on the same network

    • SongbookPro

      Best for:
      Paying once, on almost any device
      Devices:
      Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Fire
      Price:
      About $6 to $7 once, Groups from $30 a year
      Band on the same song:
      No

    • OnSong

      Best for:
      iPad players who want PDFs, MIDI and church tools
      Devices:
      iPhone, iPad, Mac
      Price:
      From $29.99 a year
      Band on the same song:
      On Premium, same Wi-Fi

    • Stage Friend (ours)

      Best for:
      The whole band on the same song, on any device
      Devices:
      Android app, browser on iPhone, iPad and computers
      Price:
      Free plan. A band's owner needs Solo Pro at €42 or Stage Pro at €108 a year
      Band on the same song:
      Yes, every plan, over the internet, so each device needs a connection

    • Band Central

      Best for:
      A shared band library on a small budget
      Devices:
      iPhone, iPad, Android, web
      Price:
      Free for 50 songs, from $14.99 a year
      Band on the same song:
      No

    • forScore

      Best for:
      PDF sheet music on Apple devices
      Devices:
      iPad, iPhone, Mac
      Price:
      $24.99 once
      Band on the same song:
      Yes, up to 15 nearby devices

    • MobileSheets

      Best for:
      PDF sheet music on Android or Windows
      Devices:
      Android, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Mac
      Price:
      $15.99 once per platform
      Band on the same song:
      Yes, device to device

    • Planning Center Music Stand

      Best for:
      Worship teams that plan in Planning Center
      Devices:
      iPhone, iPad, Android, web
      Price:
      Services free up to 5 people, Music Stand $5 a month
      Band on the same song:
      Page turns in a session

    How to choose

    Start with the devices. If everyone has an iPad, all but OpenSongApp are open to you, and OnSong or forScore give you the most. As soon as one player has an Android tablet or a Windows laptop, the Apple-only apps drop out, which is where SongbookPro, BandHelper, MobileSheets and Stage Friend come in.

    Then decide between text and PDFs. If your charts are scanned or bought sheet music, choose an app built for PDFs, such as forScore, MobileSheets or OnSong. If your songs are lyrics with chords that you transpose and edit, a chord chart app reads better on a phone and is easier to share. Last, think about the stage: if the band needs to be on the same song without anyone calling it out, look at the last column of the table.

    The apps, one by one

    BandHelper

    Best for running the whole band

    BandHelper goes further than songs and setlists: it keeps your schedule, contacts, finances and stage plots, and on stage it plays backing and click tracks, sends MIDI and shares the leader's screen with up to 15 devices on the same network. One subscription covers the whole band after a 30-day trial. For two to five members it's $40 a year for songs and setlists, $60 with the schedule and $80 with finances and stage plots, and a solo player pays from $16 a year. Moving from it? See Stage Friend compared with BandHelper.

    It runs on the web, iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac, while Windows needs an Android emulator. The depth takes time to learn, and there is no free plan. Set List Maker, from the same developer, is still sold but gets no new features, and its developer recommends moving to BandHelper. More in BandHelper vs Setlist Helper.

    SongbookPro

    Best for paying once

    SongbookPro runs on Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Amazon Fire tablets, and its iPad app also runs on Apple silicon Macs. It shows chord charts and PDFs, takes pen notes, sends MIDI and plays backing tracks, and one purchase of about $6 to $7 unlocks it in each app store after a 12-song trial.

    For a band, Groups shares one library from $30 a year for six people, and members don't buy the app. It doesn't let a leader take the others to the next song: each player turns their own pages. More in OnSong vs SongbookPro.

    OnSong

    Best for the most stage tools on Apple devices

    OnSong does the most on stage: it keeps PDFs and can transpose them, sends MIDI, plays backing tracks, cues lights, and gives worship teams lyrics projection, Planning Center and SongSelect. Connect on Premium lets a leader send the song to other devices on the same Wi-Fi.

    It runs on Apple devices only, and it's a subscription: free for up to 30 songs, then Essentials at $29.99 a year or Premium at $59.99 a year. More in Stage Friend compared with OnSong, and on Android or Windows, what to use instead of OnSong.

    Stage Friend (our app)

    Best for the whole band on the same song, on any device

    Stage Friend is a songbook and setlist app made for bands. When one player leads, everyone following opens the same song, over the internet and on every plan, the free one included, whether they play from an Android phone, an iPad in the browser or a laptop. Songs are lyrics with chords that you transpose, scroll at the song's own pace or turn with a foot pedal, and on Stage Pro guests at your gig vote for songs and request new ones from their phones.

    The free plan has no song limit and holds three setlists per band, but its songs stay on the device you use. Solo Pro costs €42 a year and syncs your songs. To invite the band, the owner needs Solo Pro, with room for one member on the free plan, or Stage Pro at €108 a year, with room for five. Plans side by side are on the pricing page. Stage Friend has no PDF charts, no MIDI and no backing tracks, and on iPhone and iPad it runs in the browser, with no App Store app yet.

    Band Central

    Best for a shared library on a small budget

    Band Central comes from the makers of Setlist Helper and is a separate, newer app. It keeps the band's songs, chord charts, PDFs and setlists in sync between members on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, with transpose and autoscroll on every plan and foot pedals in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps.

    The free plan holds 50 songs and 5 setlists for one member, and band plans start at $14.99 a year for two. Its help pages describe no way for a leader to move everyone to the next song. Coming from Setlist Helper? See Stage Friend compared with Setlist Helper.

    forScore

    Best for PDF sheet music on Apple devices

    forScore is built around PDF sheet music with annotations, and Cue lets one player turn pages on up to 15 nearby forScore devices.

    It costs $24.99 once and runs on iPad, iPhone and Mac only. It has no shared band library and isn't made for chord charts as text.

    MobileSheets

    Best for PDF sheet music on Android and Windows

    MobileSheets is a PDF sheet music reader for Android, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Mac, and it can show ChordPro charts too. Connected devices can share songs and turn each other's pages, on any mix of platforms.

    It costs $15.99 once for each platform family, after a free version limited to 8 songs, and has no hosted band account: devices connect to each other directly.

    Planning Center Music Stand

    Best for worship teams on Planning Center

    Music Stand reads the PDFs and chord charts in your church's Planning Center Services plans on iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, and one device can turn pages for the others in a session.

    It needs Services, which is free for up to five team members, plus Music Stand from $5 a month for the church. Offline, it keeps the last ten plans you viewed.

    Bandfix

    Best for a shared library at a low monthly price

    Bandfix keeps one band library and its setlists in sync on the web, iPhone, iPad and Android, with roles for each member, chord charts and PDF charts with notes. The free plan holds 20 songs, and paid plans start at $1.99 a month for 200 songs. Offline use is on the paid plans, and each member mostly pays for their own.

    SongBook by LinkeSOFT

    Best for ChordPro charts on Windows and Mac

    SongBook by LinkeSOFT runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Mac and works with ChordPro chord charts. It costs $19.99 once on the App Store and $19 on Google Play, with an optional SongBook Cloud subscription for sharing song folders, and Play Together keeps up to seven iPhones, iPads and Macs on the same song and line. It is a different app from SongbookPro and from SongBook+.

    Free picks: JustChords and OpenSongApp

    Best if the budget is zero

    JustChords on iPhone, iPad and Mac and OpenSongApp on Android are both free, and they can share setlists with each other, so a mixed band can start without paying anything. JustChords' PlayTogether and OpenSongApp's connect mode keep players on the same song between nearby devices.

    Questions about setlist apps

    For a band on mixed devices, JustChords on iPhone, iPad and Mac and OpenSongApp on Android are both free and can share setlists with each other. Stage Friend's free plan has no song limit, and members on it can follow the band live once the band's owner, on Solo Pro or Stage Pro, has invited them. Band Central's free plan holds 50 songs and 5 setlists, and Bandfix's 20 songs.

    SongbookPro, BandHelper, MobileSheets, Band Central, Bandfix, SongBook by LinkeSOFT and Planning Center Music Stand all have apps for both, and Stage Friend has an Android app and runs in the browser on iPhone. OnSong, forScore and JustChords are Apple only, and OpenSongApp is Android only.

    No. As of October 2026 Set List Maker is still sold and still gets bug fixes, but its developer stopped adding features in May 2024 and recommends moving to BandHelper, from the same developer, with a migration guide.

    forScore on iPad, iPhone and Mac, or MobileSheets if anyone in the band uses Android or Windows. Both are one-time purchases built around PDF sheet music, and both can turn pages on the other players' devices.

    BandHelper's Live Sharing, OnSong's Connect, forScore's Cue, MobileSheets' Connect, JustChords' PlayTogether and OpenSongApp's connect mode all do it between nearby devices. Stage Friend's live follow works over the internet on any device, so each one needs a connection. SongbookPro doesn't offer it, and Band Central's and Bandfix's help pages don't describe it.

    See if Stage Friend fits your band

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